COMAC has delivered the first two ARJ21 aircraft converted from passenger to cargo configuration to Hangzhou Yuantong Cargo Aviation and Zhongyuan Longhao Aviation. It is expected that these new aircraft will soon be introduced into the commercial market.
In a ceremony held at Guangzhou Airport, one aircraft was delivered to each airline. The event was attended by He Dongfeng, the party committee secretary and president of COMAC, along with executives from the Chinese manufacturer, representatives from the Guangzhou government, and officials from the Guangdong Provincial Airport Management Group, among others.
He Dongfeng handed over the symbolic keys of the aircraft to Henan Aviation Investment Group and Yuantong Jiaolong Group. Additionally, the certificates of aircraft sales were issued to Henan Aviation Investment Leasing and Yuantong Cargo Airlines, and the airworthiness certificates were awarded to a single aircraft for Yuantong Cargo Airlines and Zhongyuan Longhao Airlines, respectively.
The ARJ21 is capable of carrying a maximum commercial payload of 10 tons and has a range of 2,778 kilometers, making it ideal for operating on short-haul domestic and regional routes. Its main cargo compartment is equipped with a system that allows for various loading schemes using a fully electric large cargo door.
The project to convert the ARJ21 from a passenger to cargo configuration was formally initiated in May 2020. After a series of processes, including preliminary design, detailed design, and implementation of modifications, it received airworthiness approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in January 2023. This marks a successful first conversion of a passenger aircraft to cargo in China.
During this period, Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance & Engineering Co., Ltd (GAMECO), as the project’s implementation unit, collaborated closely with COMAC. They sequentially completed the large fuselage opening, structural reinforcement, installation of the main cargo door, system modifications, and other tasks. Additionally, they worked with COMAC to conduct a series of on-ground tests, flight tests, and validation tasks, which strongly supported the airworthiness approval and the delivery of the ARJ21 passenger-to-cargo aircraft.
Hangzhou Yuantong Cargo Aviation Co., Ltd. is the sole dedicated cargo carrier in Zhejiang province, and it boasts the broadest coverage of international cargo routes among Chinese cargo companies. Currently, they operate 12 exclusive cargo aircraft and have established over 140 domestic and international cargo routes.
Zhongyuan Longhao Aviation is a cargo airline under the Henan Aviation Investment Group and is the only cargo airline based in Henan province. They currently possess 13 cargo aircraft and have launched over 80 domestic and international cargo routes, initially building a route network with Zhengzhou as its hub and covering major cities in countries under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
